Rugby league hit by positive test findings
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Your support makes all the difference.Rugby league and powerlifting have emerged as the two main areas for concern following the release of UK Sport's annual drug-testing figures.
Of the 296 rugby league players tested by the agency during the year, 18 returned positive findings. Of the six out-of-competition tests carried out within the sport, four detected banned anabolic agents and another found traces of marijuana. Five others tested positive for nandrolone or excess testosterone and a further six for ephedrine, an active ingredient of cold cures.
Michelle Verroken, UK Sport's director of drug-free sport, said: "We have discussed this with the Rugby Football League and part of the reason seems to be there are a number of players coming in from other countries where it's acceptable to use these substances, such as cold treatments. What is certain is that the RFL is keen to make sure their sport is drug-free."
The high proportion of out-of-competition tests producing positive findings underlines the effectiveness of the agency's ability to target suspect individuals. Verroken said: "Sometimes we go after individuals and that's what we are going to continue to do."
In powerlifting, traditionally an area which has provided drug positives, 192 tests produced 15 positive findings.
But overall the number of British sportsmen and sportswomen testing positive for banned substances fell last year. There were 6,013 tests carried out in the year ending April 2002, compared to 5,406 the previous year, but the number of reported findings fell from 110 to 101.
A total of 1,207 tests were carried out on footballers, yielding five positive findings – two for marijuana, two for tranquillisers and one for an excessive level of alcohol. Within athletics, there were 708 tests conducted, and all five positive findings were later approved by UK Sport as being medicines, such as the anti-asthma drug salbutamol, being taken for therapeutic use.
* Britain's Alain Baxter, stripped of his Olympic skiing bronze medal after testing positive for a banned cold cure, has his appeal heard in London today and tomorrow.
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